I m looking to buy a videocamera and an unterwater housing. Really don't want to
spend the world, since I only have taken
pictures underwater so far and not videos.

I think reasonable price range is somewhere
between £300-600.

Maybe you can give me tips tricks, and advice
me on where to buy?

Cheers

Catengine

dan reading

posted :
September 27, 2006 Post subject: Videocam & Housing
hi catengine, i have a new gates housing for sale, will sell for Â£500 it costs Â£1265, i'll also include a port for you. you will be able to get a video camera off ebay for it. either the sony dcr-pc110e or dcr-pc120e.

http://www.camerasunderwater.co.uk/video/gates/PC-series.html

if i were you i would ensure you look at digital video camera and not older anolog ones. e-mail me if your interested- dan.reading@ (delete space) hotmail.co.uk

RIchard

posted :
October 1, 2006 Post subject: Videocam & Housing
Catengine, welcome to the world of underwater videography. This is a vast subject and one that normally puts a lot of people off as it can be expensive. As a rule of thumb, what ever you spend on the video camera, be prepared to spend on the housing. If I were you, I would start simple - why - well you need to learn the trade. As an example, some people will spend a fortune on their equipment thinking that the more it costs, the better the results will be. Wrong, you need to learn the techniques first before you start spending money....better to be cheap and good rather than expensive and bad! I am an instructor in photography and videography and run a company called Underwater World Images. If I were you, I would look at the follwing www.birchleyproducts.co.uk. The housings they produce are fantastic. They are very reasonably priced and functional and they compete alongside housings that cost twice as much. OK, they will never win a beauty prize but they deliver the goods and do it well at half the cost and with style. Me, I just love video and have video'd myself round the world. So decide on your budget and go out and make your self some memories.

Thank you very much for your tips. I have looked at the website you suggested.

I have one concern about those housings. - They seem to be tube shaped which means you would have access air.

Does that mean you would adjust the weight directly on the tube or would you have to adjust the weight on your weightbelt ?

RIchard

posted :
October 8, 2006 Post subject: Videocam & Housing
Catengine

The housing is slightly positively buoyant and equates to one pound of weight. This opens up another debate - do you want you equipment buoyant, neutral or heavy. You can only answer this as there are advantages and disadvantegs with them all. If you always carry lighting then you need to bear this in mind as well.

From a beginners point of view, it is probably simpler to start positive because if anything happens, then at least it will float to the surface. And also, a posituve housing is easier to hold.

You can add weights to either the camera or to your weight belt, it matters not. Best tip of all though is - keep it simple, relax and just get it ion camera no matter how bad you think it will be. 9 times out of 10, it comes out better than you think.

Makes sense. So I guess it depends on how you feel underwater and how "safe" you are. bouyency control seems to be the key. Well I guess that will also come with practice....

Have visted Camerasunderwater on the weekend.

Very busy little shop. The offers they have @ the moment start @ £820 which is Camera & Housing, but than as allways they recommend wide angle lens, a mirror since you otherwise are not able to see much and some other equipment. Therefore you end up with a final price of just about £1050.

Ebay is not much better since everybody sells secondhand equipment nearly for the same price as new.....

Looks like I have choosen the most expensiv hobby. Maybe I have to stick with underwater digital camera for a while until I go for the video.

Will see....

Cheers for all your help and tips !

Catengine

stanl

posted :
November 9, 2006 Post subject: Videocam & Housing
Hi Catengine
I recently bought a sanyo vpc-cex digital video camera that uses an x-dcard to record onto it is very small ,not much bigger than a mobile phone it is also a 6mega pixel camera
I have just returned from diving in Bali and Flores and the results are fantastic It uses Mpeg4 format. You should be able to get camera and case for approx £500 .
stan